Student backlash over AI-generated promotional materials has prompted Associated Students of Pomona College (ASPC) and Associated Students of Claremont McKenna College (ASCMC) to reconsider their use of the technology, with the two student governments taking different approaches to regulation. ASPC is debating a proposed ban on AI use in external communications, with senators divided over enforcement and potential stipend reductions for violations. ASCMC’s executive board reached an informal agreement to avoid AI use but has not adopted a permanent policy.
Pomona College
In a pickle: CMC adds new signage clarifying pickleball courts are CMS only
Claremont McKenna College added new signage to its pickleball courts this week to affirm that they are exclusively meant for CMC, Harvey Mudd College and Scripps College students, faculty and staff. The signage was updated after the Associated Students of Claremont McKenna College (ASCMC) asked staff at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS) Athletics about community members’ access to the courts.
Pomona to become CGU’s parent institution following partnership announcement
The Boards of Trustees at Pomona College and Claremont Graduate University (CGU) voted today, Oct. 26 to approve a partnership that will enshrine Pomona as CGU’s parent institution.
The approval of the partnership follows an Oct. 6 email from Interim President Michelle Bligh to CGU faculty and staff, in which Bligh outlined how CGU will seek to address a projected $7.8 million operating deficit for the current fiscal year.
CGU first announced it would be seeking a partnership to improve its financial standing in April 2025. Pomona President Gabi Starr announced CGU and Pomona had entered into exclusive negotiations on Dec. 18, 2025.
5Cs and student governments invest in U-Pass program amid Metrolink fare hike in prices
Metrolink, the commuter rail transport system across Southern California, raised fare prices on Oct. 5 for the first time in 13 years. In a press release, Metrolink said that “limited fare increases” are due to rising operational costs, decreased ridership and a lack of federal funding. One-way Metrolink fares rose by up to about 14%, while the weekday SoCal Day Pass rose from $15 to $19 and the weekend and holiday pass rose from $10 to $12. Metrolink maintained its 50% student discount, but students still had to pay more as the underlying fares increased.
CSWA calls for paid negotiations and an end to union-busting at rally
The Claremont Student Worker Alliance (CSWA) held a rally on Oct. 9 outside of Frary Dining Hall, where around 20 students and faculty members gathered to hear speeches, sing picket chants and paint Walker Wall with messages of support for dining workers at Pomona College.
Pomona launches $530 million Originals campaign, breaks ground on Center for Global Engagement
Last Saturday, Pomona College launched its Originals Campaign, a $530 million effort to expand financial aid for middle-income families, broaden professional opportunities for students and strengthen the college’s alumni network. To kick off the campaign, Pomona President G. Gabrielle Starr and several trustees broke ground on the college’s Center for Global Engagement (CGE), which was followed by a fall-themed festival featuring student performances and community-building efforts.
Speaking of change: Oldenborg’s demolition reshapes 5C multilingual community
Following the demolition of the Oldenborg Center for Modern Languages and International Relations over the summer, Pomona College relocated its language and residential programming across campus while construction began on the new Center for Global Engagement (CGE). Students and Language Residents said the move changed the close-knit residential community and informal interactions that developed when language housing, dining and language operated in the same building.
COVID-19 is back on campus, at a lower rate than last year
While the 5Cs continue to grapple with COVID-19, positive COVID test rates administered by Student Health Services (SHS) are lower this year than last.
Since the start of the academic year, SHS reported 15 positive COVID results out of 100 students tested through Sept. 25, meaning a 15% positivity rate. Last year, the positivity rate across a similar time period was 19%, meaning a four percentage point decrease.
Still, SHS warns that the figures do not represent all COVID infections across the Claremont Colleges, as many community members self-test with campus resources. “Students who are ill are encouraged to stay home when they have a fever, mask when appropriate, test when symptomatic, and contact SHS with questions or if symptoms worsen,” SHS stated.
ACLU, Amnesty International report on repression cites Pomona, Pitzer, Scripps; Pomona disputes claims
Pomona, Pitzer and Scripps Colleges were mentioned in a Sept. 23 report by Amnesty International USA and the American Civil Liberties Union addressing suppression of “pro-Palestine speech and dissent” across college campuses nationwide. In a statement to TSL, a Pomona spokesperson wrote that the report “makes serious errors, unsupported by the source material.”
Jose Martinez leaves Pomona College Dining management amid Dining Services controversies
Pomona College’s former Dining Services General Manager Jose Martinez is no longer employed by Pomona College, as a college spokesperson confirmed in an email statement to TSL. The circumstances surrounding Martinez’s departure, which follows student opposition to the previously planned closure of Milk & Honey, remain unclear.